Behavioral Observation

Technology and Applications in Developmental Disabilities

Edited by Travis Thompson, Ph.D., David Felce, Ph.D., & Frank J. Symons, Ph.D.

A professional observing a student in a classroom carries a "light pen" and a list of bar codes, each bar code indicating a specific behavior or something going on in the student's environment. Each time the student displays a behavior, the observer runs the pen over the appropriate code. The pen records those codes and stores the information for later analysis.

Recent advances in computer technology have revolutionized the way professionals obtain and analyze information on the behavior of individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Practitioners, students, and researchers in the fields of developmental and behavioral disabilities will learn how to make technology work for them in this exciting book.

The editors have gathered a high-profile group of contributors to discuss the latest computer equipment and software available — such as hand held optical bar code readers and hand held computers — and compiled practical strategies on how to put that equipment to work in an array of applied settings. Principles of conducting observations and analyzing the resultant data are also provided in order to enable professionals to use the new observational strategies to improve their understanding of disabilities and to help devise intervention techniques that will improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Paperback 384 pages / 7 x 10 2000

Table of Contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Editors Contributors Foreword Gershon Berkson Preface Travis Thompson Acknowledgments Principles of Behavioral Observation Behavioral Observation: Assumptions, Principles and Strategies Travis Thompson, Frank J. Symons, and David Felce Observational Research in Mental Retardation: American Journal of Mental Deficiency and American Journal on Mental Retardation, 1940-1995 Gene P. Sackett

New Technologies for Behavioral Observation Computer Systems for Collecting Real-time Observational Data Sun Woo Khang and Brian A. Iwata Palmtop Computer Technologies for Behavioral Observation Research Eric Emerson, David J. Reeves, and David Felce PROCODER: A System for Collection and Analysis of Observational Data from Videotape Jon Tapp and Tedra A. Walden Observational Software for Laptop Computers and Optical Bar Code Readers Jon Tapp and Joseph H. Wehby Computer-Assisted Integration of Physiological and Behavioral Measures Maria L. Boccia and Jane Elizabeth Roberts

Applications in Residential and Community Settings Architecture and Behavior of People with Intellectual Disabilities: Observational Methods and Housing Policies Travis Thompson, Mark Egli, and Julia Robinson Monitoring Staff and Consumer Behavior in Residential Settings Richard R. Saunders, Jay L. Saunders Analyzing & Treating Severe Behavior Problems In People with Developmental Disabilities: Observational Methods Using Computer-Assisted Technology Frank J. Symons, and William E. MacLean, Jr. Observational Methods in Assessment of Quality of Life David Felce and Eric Emerson Application in Education and Families Observing Complex Adult-Child Interactions: Computer-Supported Coding, Analysis and Graphing Ann P. Kaiser, Jon Tapp, Ned A. Solomon, Elizabeth M. Delaney, Sara S. Ezell, Peggy H. Hester, Terry B. Hancock Approaches to Understanding the Ecology of Early Childhood Environments for Children with Disabilities Samuel L. Odom, Paddy C. Favazza, William H. Brown, and Eva M. Horn Analysis of Early Communication and Language Intervention Practices Using Observational Technology JaneDiane Smith, Jon Tapp, and Steven F. Warren Ecobehavioral Assessment Systems Software (EBASS): A System for Observation in Education Settings Charles R. Greenwood, Judith J. Carta, and Harriet Dawson Social Interaction in High School and Supported Employment Settings: Observational Research Application and Issues Carolyn Hughes, Michael S. Rodi, and Sarah Walsh Lorden Computer-Assisted Assessment of Treatment Effects Among Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Curt A. Sandman, Paul E. Touchette, Jason Ly, Sarah DeBoard Marion, and Yvonne E.M. Bruinsma Units of Analysis and Quantitative Issues in Analysis of Observational Data Quantification Strategies in Behavioral Observation Research Vincenç Quera and Roger Bakeman Qualifying the Magnitude of Sequential Association Between Events or Behaviors Paul J. Yoder and Irene D. Feurer An Alternative Approache to the Sequential Analysis of Behavioral Interactions Scott Hall and Chris Oliver